COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Published: May 7, 2008

The Community Calendar is a listing of upcoming community events.

Today

AMERICAN SEWING GUILD: Brandon Recreation Center, 502 E. Sadie St., Brandon. The Brandon/East Bay Chapter of The American Sewing Guild will hold its monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m. today. Dora Watz will be the featured guest speaker. Call Brenda Murray Wall at (813) 500-3834.

Saturday

MEETING OF THE WAVES: Golden Corral restaurant, 815 Providence Road, Brandon. The Tampa Bay WAVES Unit No. 55 will hold its monthly meeting at 11 a.m. Saturday. Women who served in military sea service, including Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Maritime Service or related reserves, are welcome and eligible for membership. Call Barbara J. McGuire at (813) 571-2098.

BLOOD DRIVE: Goodwill Industries-Suncoast, 1106 E. Brandon Blvd., Brandon. Goodwill will host a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Donors will receive a discount coupon for Goodwill stores and a T-shirt. Call (813) 689-6279 for information.

Sunday

LET'S TRADE COUPONS: Bloomingdale Regional Public Library, 1906 Bloomingdale Ave., Valrico. The Brandon Coupon Club will meet at 2 p.m. Sunday. Participants are asked to bring scissors and extra coupons. Call Linda at (813) 689-9150.

Tuesday

COMPUTER SEMINAR: Brandon High School, 1101 Victoria St., Room 129, Brandon. A Windows Special Interest Group meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The class will cover bookmark management and will be directed by Darrell Manns. The program is free and sponsored by the Greater Tampa Bay PC User Group. Call Al Miller at (813) 685-6622.

DRIVER SAFETY PROGRAM: AARP will host two upcoming, four-hour driver safety classes. Seniors must bring their driver's licenses to the first class, but no driving will be necessary. Classes with fewer than 20 registrations will be canceled. The fee is $10. The classes will be held at the following locations:

•Brandon Senior Center at Davis Park, 612 N. Parsons Ave., Brandon - 12:45- 4:45 p.m. May 13 and 14. Call (813) 662-0912 from 1-7 p.m. to register.

•H2U, 119 Oakfield Drive, Room 258, Brandon - 1-5 p.m. May 19 and 20. Call (813) 684-3316 to register.

Upcoming

THE ABC'S OF HOMEOWNERSHIP: Greater Palm River POINT Community Development Corp., 7454 Palm River Road, Tampa. Palm River POINT will offer free workshops with information about budget preparation, the home buying process, home inspections, setting goals for homeownership, avoiding foreclosures, closing fees and more from 6 to 8 p.m. May 14, 21 and 28. Space is limited. Call Lisa Vargas at (813) 628-9179 for information and to register.

AFRICAN VIOLET SOCIETY TO MEET: Brandon Recreation Center, 510 E. Sadie St., Brandon. The Tampa African Violet Society will meet at 10 a.m. May 16. Phyllis King, an award-winning horticulturist and designer, will be the guest speaker. There will be refreshments and a drawing. Admission and parking are free to visitors. Call Mary Lou Harden at (813) 689-8700 or Mina Menish at (813) 251-1581 for information.

JUPITER COMES TO BRANDON: Brandon Regional Library, 619 Vonderburg Drive, Brandon. The band Jupiter will perform at 7 p.m. May 19, with a blend of traditional Celtic, alternative folk and Americana music in an eclectic style. The event is free and open to the public. Call (813) 273-3652.

SPRING VOLUNTEERS AT ANIMAL SHELTER: Hillsborough County Animal Services, 440 Falkenburg Road, Tampa. Hillsborough County Animal Services is seeking volunteers ages 16 and older for its Volunteer Partnership Program. Duties include walking and socializing animals, washing and grooming, escorting potential adoptive owners to kennels, photographing the animals, assisting veterinarians and attending special events. Orientation will be held at the shelter at 10 a.m. May 24. Call (813) 744-5660 or go to www.hillsboroughcounty.org/animalservices.

Ongoing

GENEALOGY MEETING: Bloomingdale Public Library, 1906 Bloomingdale Ave., Valrico. The Brandon Area Genealogy and Historical Society will meet at 6:30 p.m. the second Tuesday monthly. For information, go to www.baghs.org.

LINE DANCING LESSONS: Buckhorn Golf & Country Club, 2721 S. Miller Road, Valrico. Line dancing classes taught by Kathy Brown are offered from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Participants will learn basic steps to oldies classics. Cost is $5 per lesson. E-mail Brown at gondanzn@verizon.net.

ALZHEIMER'S SUPPORT GROUP: Savannah Court, 824 N. Parsons Ave., Brandon. Nell Bieser will direct an Alzheimer's Support Group at Savannah Court from 7 to 9 p.m. the third Wednesday monthly. Call (813) 643-6767.

FOREST STEWARD PROGRAM: Hillsborough County Extension Office, 5339 County Road 579, Seffner. The University of Florida and Hillsborough County Extension Office is offering a 32-hour course on the cultivation and care of trees and woodlands. Participants will learn the ecology-based approach to managing community trees and forests, including tree identification, different species, care and maintenance, pest management, value assessment, inventory techniques, forestry program planning, funding and implementation. There also will be two field trips. Participants will serve 30 volunteer hours in their communities within the first year of certification. Classes are limited to 20 students. The $50 fee includes a workbook and resource material. Call Rob Northrop at (813) 744-5519, Ext. 104, for information, the class schedule and to register.

GREYHOUNDS FOR ADOPTION: Port City Java, 3330 Lithia-Pincrest Road, Valrico. Port City Java hosts a monthly "Meet the Greys" from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the third Saturday monthly. Prospective owners can interact with greyhounds available for adoption. Call (813) 653-0531 for information or go to www.portcityjava.com.

CHILDREN AND ADULT WORKSHOPS: Center Place Fine Arts and Civic Association, 619 Vonderburg Drive, Brandon.

Center Place offers the following workshops for children in March and April: Pottery Road Trip for Home Schoolers by Alison Hamm; Jump Start For Art for ages 4 to 7 by Doreen Donovan; Fun Painting for Children ages 7-13 by Greg Manley; Drawing for kids ages 8 to 10 by Manley; Drawing for Kids ages 11 and older by Manley; Stamping and Scrapping for ages 7 to adult by Bonnie Phillips; Home Schooling Art Classes for ages 7 and older by Betty Fairbanks; Watercolors, Wet & Wild for children in second to fifth grades by Fairbanks; Discovery Hour for ages 4 to 6 by Phillips; Quick and Easy Oil Paintings for ages 7 to adult by Phillips; Kid's Clay for ages 6 to 2 by Hamm; Art Adventures for Mommy and Me for ages 2-5 by Hamm; Charm, Etiquette and Modeling for girls ages 8-16 Level I by Linda Goldstein

Center Place offers the following workshops for adults in March and April: Pottery Place Painting by Alison Hamm; Watercolor Values for intermediate students by Cheryl Jorgensen; Design & Watercolor for all levels by Meletha Everett; Oil & Acrylic Painting Class for ages 18 and older by Bill Greet; Oil Portraiture - Wildlife Painting for all levels by Debra Bryant; Oil Painting for all levels by Judith Johnson; Exploring the Fantasy of Watercolor Painting for beginners and intermediate painters by Harvey Berman; Calligraphy Class for all levels by Minnette Webster

Call (813) 685-8888 for dates, times, reservations and costs.

HULA HOOP CLASS: Providence West Recreation Center, 5720 Providence Road, Brandon. Susan LeVines will offer free hula-hoop fitness class and tutorial at 6:30 p.m. first Thursday monthly. Hoops will be provided. Call Susan LeVines at (813) 695-3107 for information and to register.

PRE-ADOPTIVE SUPPORT GROUP: The Sylvia Thomas Center, 716 S. Oakwood Ave., Brandon. The center hosts support and training group meetings to prepare families for adoptions from 6:30-8 p.m. Thursdays. Child care is available. Call (813) 651-3150 or write to Renee Walker at rwalker@sylviathomascenter .org.

EXERCISE AT YMCA EXPRESS: The FishHawk Ranch YMCA Express is offering new exercise classes for 2008. The lineup includes:

•Pilates, a floor-based workout that targets abdominal and core muscles to develop flexibility. This is an ideal class for people who recently have suffered orthopedic injuries. Classes are at 9:30 a.m. Mondays, 5 p.m. Tuesdays and 10:30 a.m. Thursdays.

•Bootcamp HEAT, a high-energy athletic training class, offers cardiovascular intensity and strength training. Classes are at 8:30 a.m. Mondays and Saturdays and 5 p.m. Wednesdays.

•Zumba, the latest dance-based class, incorporates Latin moves and music for a workout that's fun and burns calories. Classes are at 10:30 a.m. Mondays, 4 p.m. Tuesdays and 7 p.m. Thursdays.

For a full schedule of classes, visit www.tampaymca.org.

DOG OBEDIENCE CLASS: Brandon Recreation Center, 510 E. Sadie Street, Brandon. Basic dog obedience classes are held from 7-8 p.m. Mondays or Tuesdays. Sub-Novice classes are held from 7-8 p.m. Wednesdays or Thursdays. Pre-registration is required for $32. Call (813) 689-0731 or write to sibesite@tampabay.rr.com.

FITNESS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY: Park Square, corner of Dorman Road and FishHawk Crossings Boulevard, Lithia. Moms, dads and runners of all abilities can participate in fitness programs at FishHawk Ranch: Stroller Strides for mothers with babies and Road Runners for beginner to advanced runners.

•Stroller Strides starts at 9 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. Moms meet at Park Square for hourlong classes that include power walking and cardio training and strength training stations using resistance tubing, strollers and the environment. Fitness instructors weave children's songs and activities into the routines to entertain the babies. The program is designed for all fitness levels. Babies from infancy to 5 years old and pregnant moms are welcome. The first class is free. Cost after that varies depending on attendance. Newcomers should arrive 15 minutes early. Bring a stroller, a towel for floor exercises and water. Stroller Strides also offers playgroups, mom's nights out, field trips and more. Contact Ginger Couden at (813) 394-7754 or go to www.strollerstrides.com.

•The FishHawk Road Runners meet Saturdays at Park Square and welcome runners of all abilities. The club also offers track workouts, trail runs and other weekly running activities. The club meets at 7 a.m. Call Steve Dunn at (813) 681-6141, stop by Hit the Trails! in Park Square and check out the information board or go to www.fishhawkroadrunners club.com. For information about other programs at FishHawk Ranch, go to www.fishhawkconnect.com.

Is there an item of community interest you think other people should know about? Send us your Community Calendar information at least two weeks before desired publication date. Include your name, address and telephone number. In the Brandon area, send it to Felix Martinez, 505 W. Robertson St., Brandon FL 33511, e-mail to fmartinez@tampatrib.comor fax to (813) 643-6844.